Direct proof of use
PD-2 UAS use in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War is documented through Ukrainian charitable procurement reporting, manufacturer reporting, and battlefield incident reporting. In June 2022, the Come Back Alive Foundation said it had purchased 10 PD-2 systems for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and described their intended mission as target acquisition and artillery fire spotting for HIMARS and other artillery systems.
In May 2023, Ukrspecsystems reported that the Air Force Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces had received a PD-2 complex made up of two reconnaissance UAVs, a ground control station, and a mobile command post. The company described the complex as capable of tracking moving targets, adjusting fire, and gathering intelligence for HIMARS and other long-range systems.
Sources: Come Back Alive PD-2 charity project, Another PD-2 is heading out on a hunt for HIMARS!
Narrative
The sourced record presents PD-2 as an operational-tactical reconnaissance and targeting-support system rather than a strike weapon. Come Back Alive described each purchased complex as including UAVs and mobile ground-control elements, while Ukrspecsystems described an Air Force Command complex built around two reconnaissance aircraft, a ground control station, and a 4x4 mobile command post.
Its documented wartime role centers on finding, tracking, and correcting fire against targets for Ukrainian long-range fires. Come Back Alive linked PD-2 to target acquisition and artillery spotting for HIMARS and other artillery systems, and Ukrspecsystems described target tracking and intelligence gathering for HIMARS and other long-range systems. Defense Express later reported a specific Zaporizhzhia-region operation in which Ukrainian intelligence fighters and HIMARS operators destroyed a Russian Tor SAM launcher with guidance provided by a PD-2 unmanned system.
Sources: Come Back Alive PD-2 charity project, Another PD-2 is heading out on a hunt for HIMARS!, Defense Express HIMARS and PD-2 Tor strike
